Spirited Away: When Night Falls
by Liquid Blade
Summary: Chihiro, a senior in high school, can't pass through the gate to the spirit world, but a little girl can? Something's obviously sketchy...(I will constantly update the summary based on the chapters I have so far, because I don't want to spoil anything!)


_**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first fanfic writing in a long time (I even made a new account because I wanted to start fresh), so please be nice! I decided to begin writing for Spirit Away because, well, you know, the Spirited Away world is full of adventures! Anyway...I don't have much to say for this chapter, since this is only a prologue. But I hope you guys continue to read through my story!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away.**_

**Spirited Away: When Night Falls (The title may change)**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

Patter, plat. Patter, plat. Patter, plat.

The girl's feet flashed across the darkened ground, each step making a sucking noise in the moistened mud. Her clothes were splattered with soil, and her shoes were long lost to the mud a few minutes ago.

_Faster. Faster!_ The girl exclaimed in her head as she ran. The day was getting dark; only a tip of the sun's disk could be seen above the horizon. The waters would come rising up to her neck any second now.

The girl grit her teeth, tensed her body, and ran ahead at full speed. She already knew that she would barely make it in time.

Sunsets came and went all too quickly in the spirit world; in just a few seconds, the girl was immersed in darkness. The waters now churned around her waist, gripping her clothes and pulling her back. There was no other choice now; she would have to swim for life.

Frantically waving her arms in large circles, the girl pedaled her way through the wide expanse of water that now covered earth. She could see the Gate just a few feet away. _Just a little bit more!_ She thought.

When she finally reached shore, her entire body had turned into a hazy, transparent figure. For some reason, the girl knew that staying in the spirit world for too long would make her disappear. Letting out a sigh of relief that she was still alive, the girl started toward the door to her own world.

Before she entered the Gate, the girl took a cursory glance at the world behind her regretfully. Would she ever be able to see a spirit? It seemed sad that she knew where the spirits lived, yet never got to see one. Dipping her head in sadness, the girl headed toward the human world.

* * *

"Why are you so late?" Akiko asked, as he leaned back against her front door. Chihiro smiled sheepishly at the boy. Had he been waiting in front of her house all this time?

"I had work. I work at the sushi shop in town, remember?"

"Yeah, but work doesn't last until-" Akiko held up his watch. "Until eight!"

Chihiro hugged Akiko lightly, laughing at his frustration. He had the same complexion as Haku when he was angry.

"Aww, did little Akiko-bear worry about me?" Chihiro said in a taunting voice, pouting her lips. "Awwwww."

Akiko maintained his poker face.

"Come on, now," Chihiro smiled, as she pinched Akiko's cheeks in each of her hand and pulled on them. "Do you think I, the great girl who visited the spirit world, would get into trouble?"

Akiko was the only person, apart from her parents, to whom Chihiro had told the story of the spirit world. Her parents definitely did not believe her, and viewed it as a childish dream; meanwhile, Akiko regarded it as a story Chihiro had made up to entertain him.

Chihiro had met Akiko a 2 years ago, in her sophomore year of high school. At that time, she had an obsessive hobby of drawing a particular dragon, while he had an obsessive hobby of writing fairy tale stories. She wanted to become an artist. He wanted to become a writer. According to him, they were "destined" to be with each other forever, but Chihiro wasn't so sure if this was the case.

"Chihiro, I'm serious. Tell me why you were so late."

Chihiro let go of Akiko's cheeks and explained. "We had a special guest coming in today, and my boss wanted me to meet and talk to him. He's a world-renowned writer and artist! I thought that was interesting so I had a private chat with him."

Akiko's face darkened. "Who? Who was it? He didn't ask for your hand in marriage, did he? He better not. Anyone who lays a finger on my woman will-"

Chihiro kicked Akiko on his shin, making him howl in pain. Although she liked Akiko, he went too far sometimes.

"First of all, I'm your _girlfriend,_ not your wife. Second of all, you couldn't defend me even if you tried!"

Akiko was a tall, skinny boy with brownish hair that was closely cut at the middle of his forehead. Having played basketball for 6 years straight in the school team, he had a pretty strong body, but Chihiro wasn't so convinced he could protect her.

Akiko scowled. "I will beat the crap out of anyone who tries messing with my girl!"

Chihiro sighed. "Stop trying to act tough, and get in the car. We only have an hour or so."

* * *

The Gate, or the entrance to the spirit world, had been closed for years now. Chihiro had tried to go inside every single day until sophomore year, the year she met Akiko.

It wasn't that the Gate was actually closed. The Gate was in fact wide open, but whenever Chihiro exited on the other side she would see an expanse of trees instead of a broken-down amusement park. That is, the Gate was simply a gate in the depths of the forest. Nothing more, nothing less.

When she had gotten close with Akiko, Chihiro had taken him to the Gate with her. She would tell him stories of the spirit world as they sat with the backs leaning against the Gate. The only person Akiko paid attention to was Haku, since he viewed the dragon as a potential threat to his relationship.

"Who do you love more? Haku, or me?" He had once asked.

Chihiro really didn't know. She had loved Haku, but the dragon hadn't even visited her once after her departure. She liked Akiko, but really, he was just a boyfriend.

"Both." was her answer. But inside, Chihiro wondered if that was right. "Neither" seemed to be the better answer.

"Chihiro? Chihiro!" Akiko yelled, jolting Chihiro awake from her reminiscence. "Watch where you're going!"

Chihiro quickly dodged a car that she almost hit, and sighed in relief. "I'm sorry!"

"A kiss would make up for it. A long, satisfying kiss."

Chihiro slapped him before she turned her eyes back on the road.

"Ow!" Akiko rubbed his cheek delicately. "You're really violent, Miss."

"And you're a greedy pig, Mister."

As they drove into the depths of the forest, Akiko asked, "So who was the guy you talked to earlier?"

Chihiro took a glance at the sun. The large globe was just above the mountains, signifying that the day would become dark soon. "Hmm...I think his name was Hayao Miyazaki."

"HAYAO MIYAZAKI?!" Akiko gasped at the name. "You met with HIM?"

"Yeah! And do you know what? He believes in spirits too! Not fairies, though."

Akiko's face dropped a little. "He doesn't believe in fairies?" Akiko was a big fan of fairies and fairy tales.

Chihiro laughed. Akiko could be so childish at times.

When they arrived at the Gate, the sun had already disappeared. Turning on their lamps, Chihiro and Akiko hopped off the car and searched for a spot to sit on.

"I can't believe you met with Miyazaki-san. I mean-that's CRAZY!"

"Eh. It wasn't much. I mean, we only talked for a few min-" Chihiro stopped as the wind blew on her face. _Strange, _she thought, _it's almost as the wind is trying to pull me._

"What's wrong, Chihiro?" Akiko asked. The wind blew again, this time much more forcefully. Chihiro's face suddenly turned to the Gate, eyes widening in surprise.

"The wind." She said, hesitantly walking toward the door to the spirit world. "The wind is pulling me in. It's like THAT time..."

Akiko stopped. He seemed to notice something, too. "Is that the sound of a train passing by? I don't remember any trains that pass through here."

"The spirit train!" Chihiro exclaimed, breaking out into a run into the Gate. "It's open, Akiko! It has finally OPENED!"

At that instant, a tiny little girl ran out from the Gate, heavily panting for breath. Water was dripping down from her body, making little dots on black on the soil around her. She was shivering in the cold autumn air.

"Wow, er...You're soaked." Akiko said in surprise. "And it hasn't rained for several days now..."

Chihiro took a cursory glance at the girl. She was still gasping for breath as she struggled to talk. "Take care of her, Akiko!" Chihiro commanded, as she ran into the Gate. "And take her to her house!"

Only one thought raced in Chihiro's mind as she ran through the long corridor of the Gate. The Gate had finally opened. It had opened!

_I'll finally be able to see Haku!_

Of course, the spirit world would be filled with water right now, but she didn't care. She would swim to the bathhouse if needed. She would not miss this chance.

Chihiro burst through the exit. She was here!

But all she saw was an expanse of trees.

And not an expanse of waters.

Chihiro felt a tear slowly crawl down her cheek. So it was a false alarm, after all. Dejected, she turned back to walk back to Akiko.

As she slowly trudged on, Chihiro noticed a pair of wet footprints leading to the entrance of the Gate. _That must have been the girl's footsteps, _Chihiro absently thought as she walked. _That girl really was soaked._

A realization hit her like lightning. _It hadn't rained for a week now. The girl was dripping wet._

_Why was she so wet? And why was she in such a hurry?_

Chihiro stopped for a split second for her thoughts to organize themselves. The wind. The train. The dripping girl.

Chihiro put a foot forward. Then another foot. Her feet started to speed up as they ran toward the entrance of the gate.

As she neared it, Chihiro could hear the girl and Akiko talking. "It'll be fine, sir, I can make it home by myself." The girl said.

"Are you sure? It's dark outside, and according to my girlfriend, spirits wander past the Gate, too...aren't you scared?"

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you, though! I'll be off now!"

"Akiko!" Chihiro yelled through the corridor. She was still running as fast as she can. "Don't let her go! I NEED TO SPEAK WITH HER!"

Akiko frowned. "Er, sorry, girl, but can you speak with Chihiro for a second?"

Suddenly, the girl's face grew pale. "Ch-Chihiro?" She stammered, backing away from Akiko. "Her name's Chihiro?"

"Yeah, why?" Akiko replied, shrugging his shoulders.

The girl stared at Akiko for a second with a countenance that portrayed a face of fear and intrigue. Then, she whipped around and ran into the forest.

Chihiro burst through the entrance of the Gate just in time to see the girl disappear into the forest. "AKIKO! I TOLD YOU TO KEEP A HOLD OF HER!"

With that, Chihiro sprinted toward the girl, whose dark silhouette could still be seen past the trees. "Stop!"

Akiko watched for a second or two in shocked silence, then sprung into action, dashing toward the little girl. He had never seen Chihiro this desperate before. Whatever this was, things were serious.

_**A/N: So, obviously there isn't much action here (it's a prologue after all), but I still hope you guys liked it! Next chapter will bring many new surprises. Stay tuned! **_

_**P.S. Please review! I LOVE it when people review on my stories, and since I'm starting all over again, I'd like some insight on my writing (which probably got rusty). Thanks!**_


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